The properties of alamethicin incorporated into planar lipid bilayers under the influence of microgravity

During evolution, life on earth had adapted to the gravity of 1g. Due to space Eight, in the last decades the question arose what happens to the brain under microgravity on the molecular level. Ion channels among others are the molecular basis of brain function. Therefore, the investigation of ion channel function under microgravity seems to be a promising approach to gather knowledge on brain function during space Eight. In a first step, the ion channel forming peptide Alamethicin was used as a model channel in an artificial membrane. It is well suitable for this kind of investigation, since its properties are well described under standard gravity [1]. For that reason, changes due to microgravity can be detected easily. All experiments were performed in the German drop tower at ZARM-FAB, Bremen. A special set-up was constructed based on the bilayer technique introduced by Mueller and Rudin [2]. Ail functions of this set-up can be observed and controlled remotely. In the first set of experiments, a dramatic change of electrical properties of Alamethicin under microgravity could be observed. Mainly, the pore frequency is significantly reduced. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.